Tips on being a discussion leader?

Question

I volunteered to be one of four book discussion leaders in my writing course. Basically the professor said that our goal was simply to initiate discussion and get things going, and to keep the flow of the discussion natural. Are there any exceptional public speakers out there who can give me good advice or tips to be a good discussion leader? Thanks.

Answer 1

Start with an ice breaker. Very good tool to get people into the mood of the discussion. http://adulted.about.com/od/icebreakers/...

Answer 2

I'm not going to claim to be an "exceptional public speaker."  Besides, that's a different skill, to an extent, from leading a discussion. A speaker does the talking; a discussion leader gets others to talk.

1.  Express appreciation for each contribution.  Treat them equally.  Write each idea down on a white board, for example.

2.  Don't criticize any of them.   That will discourage contribution.

3.  Have some of your own provocative questions to ask centering on the books ideas.

4.  Encourage each person to say something.  If some aren't talking, you might gently ask them what they think.